Out & About in Kathmandu

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Days 3 - We wake to a beautiful morning and enjoy a wonderful breakfast with coffee/ tea on the rooftop of our hotel, the skyline is a little polluted in the distance and you can just see a small glimps of the mountains.

Our mode of transport today is by foot and local taxi as we start visiting some of Kathmundu World Heritage Sites.

Durbar Square - is one of the important historic and tourist destinations in Nepal. This massive complex is home to palaces, temples and courtyards. The original center of Kathmandu is often named as Basantapur, Hanuman Dhoka or Durbar Square all denoting the same location.

The square has various historical royal and governmental institutions mixed with temples of different styles and ages both Hindu and Buddhist. Most of them are built in the pagoda style embellished with intricately carved exteriors, built between 12th and 18th Centuries. It is here that Kings of Nepal are crowned and their coronations took place. Until the early 20th Century Durbar Square was the King's residence, now a museum.

Swayambhunath Temple - known as the Monkey Temple, is among the oldest religious sites in Nepal. There are several legends which describe Swayambhunath was born out of a lotus flower that bloomed in the middle of the Kathmandu which was a big lake at that time. Then the warrior named Manjushree came from China and he drained the water from the Kathmandu Valley and worshipped this grandeur monument.

Freak Street or Jhochhen Tole - is much more quieter and relax now, compeared to its time in the late 60s and 70s, frequently visted by hippies. During this time 3 hashish shops where in operation. In 1973 Nepal banned all cannabis products.

As another day of sightseeing ends, we all agree its time to head back freshen up and find somewhere to relax, for tomorrow we visit the Kathmandu Valley.

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Photos

Gateway to Swayambhunath Stupa
Monkey Temple